Fallen Kingdoms And The Ones Left Behind

Chapter Three

Orin and I tie our horses to the fence outside of Waymare Inn, and run towards the town commons.
A large group is gathered around an old rickety table, at which a burly old man is sitting. He has long silver hair, pulled up into a tight bun atop his head. His skin is mottled with age, yet his dark green eyes are still bright. He looks down a line of young men, a thoughtful frown under his still-thick beard. I realize Gari must be in that line.
Behind the man stand four others; but they are young handsome men, dressed in plates of bronze armour, a stark contrast to the old man's rugged tan tunic and grey trousers.
"Come now, next young man." The old man's raspy voice shouts.
A nervous looking boy- probably fifteen- moves from the line and stands in front of the table.
"Hmm..." The man at the table looks the boy over. He is skinny, with a shock of red hair. He looks very frightened; maybe his mother sent him so that he might join he army and get a salary, he'd  be able to pay for food. It's not unheard of, Mothers or Fathers sending their sons to join the Laupo army.
"Nah..." The old man says. "Took skinny."
A look of terror crosses over the boy's face. It looks like my suspicions were correct; his mother must've threatened to whip him if he didn't join the army.
The old man cackled as the boy hurriedly walked away, embarrassment flaming red on his cheeks.
"Next, then!"
It went on like this for a while; most boys turned away, a few excepted. I was about to wonder if Gari had decided not to join the Laupo Army after all, when the man cried out:
"Next young ma- well well well!"
I gasp and grab Orin's shoulder. It's Gari. His broad shoulders and muscular arms were probably the reason for the old man's interest.
I couldn't help hoping that Gari would be rejected; who wouldn't? My older brother might be sent away off to some bloody battle...
"You'll do nicely. Name?" The old man takes Gari in.
"Gari Qe Viro."
"Very Renoian."
"Um, yes." Gari replies uncomfortably. The old man cackles gleefully, and begins to scribble Gari's name on a peice of rough paper.
"Thats G...?"
"G- A- R- I."
"Alright. Middle and last name?"
"Q- E..."
I bury my face in Orin's chest. He stares off distantly."It's a great honor, you know."
"I know," I hiccup in reply. "I'm just going to miss him..."
"Hey, there's your Mother over there." Orin points to a woman at the edge of the crowd. Her dark hair is braided over her shoulder, standing out on her pale face. She wears a flowing green dress, sleeveless. I have to smile. Even in the cold she always takes fashion over comfort. Me, I'm wearing an ugly brown shawl that was probably once white, a torn blue dress, and a pair of dingy hazel boots. My ensemble is dirty and unflattering, but I'm comfy. Besides, who would I need to flatter anyways? I'm already betrothed to Orin, and he wouldn't care less if I wore dirt or a ballgown; he loves me.
"...Good. You have until tomorrow before we depart for Lucipe. Pack a bag, and meet here at four o'clock, tomorrow morning."
That early?? I wasn't paying enough attention to the other recruits to notice. 
"Yes sir."
"See you tomorrow, boy."
Gari nods to the old man, and walks away from the table to the side of the crowd opposite my mother.
"Wait!" I call. "Gari!"
He turns in time to see me, and motions toward Waymare Inn. Apparantly he left Be'ela there as well. I look at Orin.
"Go talk to him. You're not going to see him in a while." His golden-brown eyes look at me sadly, and I nod. I race after Gari, and make it to Waymare Inn quickly.
He is leaning against the fence, stroking Be'ela. "Hey," He says.
My eyes are blurred by tears. "Gari..."
He pulls me into his arms, and holds me tightly. I feel a tear fall onto my shoulder.
"I might never come back."
"I know." I sob, and we just stand there for a moment. 
A few minutes later I hear footsteps approaching us, and I turn to see who it is. My Mother walks up to us, her arms outstreched. Gari lets me go and pulls Mother into a hug. Her eyes are dry, and her face is set like stone. Perfect serious features.
"Goodbye, son."
"Yeah." Gari is rigid, and lets go of Mother quickly. Mother nods, and walks back towards the town commons.
Gari shakes his head in disgust. "That's my Mother. Loving and gentle."
I sigh. "You know she was, Gari. Before Father and Toli died."
There is silence for a few minutes.
"Well..." Gari sighs. "I'd better go pack."
"I'll come with you," I say and am about to walk to Umi'ilo when Gari grabs my wrist.
"No. You need to enjoy your time with Orin. It'll be a month before you'll see him again." He is really crying now, tears running down his cheeks.
"But it could be years before I see you again," I cry in reply. "Oh... you'll miss the wedding," It suddenly occurs to me.
Gari bows his head. "Yeah," is all he says.
"Sorry..."
He looks up suddenly, a painful smile on his face. "Go," He commands me. "Orin wouldn't be able to survive without you." And with that, he mounts  Be'ela and rides toward home.